The She wolfs Return

Chapter Nine

Colette and Ari hadn't stopped all the next day trying to find an end to the dense forest. They only stopped to drink water. They picked some berries and ate them on the way. They walked all day until the sun set once again and with it a miserable downpour of rain. Still Colette was determined to get out no matter what. The last thing she wanted was running into anymore creatures like that beast. A werewolf Ari had suggested. No they were creatures of myth. But then again.. Its eyes.. There was almost something human in them when the beast had nearly ripped her apart. Its build and the way it attacked them...no thats crazy right? Regardless the lack of knowledge as to that creatures origin was even more of a motivation to keep going and get out because who knew what else was lurking around these woods. Colette and Ari could definitely confirm now that there was a reason people who went into these woods didn't come back out. That beast had probably ripped apart every hunter and villager who had even put one foot into the woods. Well it was dead now at least thats what they thought anyway. The forest seemed never ending. No matter how far they walked in any direction it just kept going for miles. Colette couldn't help but wonder if they were even still anywhere near ravenstone anymore well, what was left of it anyway. The rain began to lash and pour down, hailstones hitting the ground beneath there feet, the wind viciously blowing against them. "Colette!" Ari shouted over the wind and the rain. "We should really find some shelter at least until this storm eases off a bit." Colette didn't look pleased at this idea but practicality won. She nodded to him and with that they both spread out and looked around for any form of shelter after coming up with nothing they continued through the woods until Ari spotted a small cave and drew Colette's attention to it. They quickly made a dash for the shelter. 

The storm had picked up, the hailstones lashing down mercilessly. Ari plonked down exhausted from the long travel, neither had any idea where they were. The forest seemed to just keep going no matter what. Colette sat down beside Ari and let out a long tired sigh. "Hey I'm sure it will ease up by the morning, don't worry" Ari said reassuringly. "Its fascinating isn't it?" Colette pondered aloud as she watched the storm rage and belt against their small shelter. "What is?" Ari asked inquisitively. "How quickly everything can change in a heartbeat. Take this storm for example, one minute the sky was clear and the forest navigable,but in just an hour a dense fog spread throughout the woods and the rain just got heavier and heavier, the wind picked up rapidly and all of a sudden and in the blink of an eye we were stumbling around in the forest no longer sure of anything". Ari considered this for a moment, it was an awful deep insight into the weather or perhaps Colette was getting at something else completely. Ari decided to play along and see what would happen.

 "Indeed it is, funny how life does that isn't it, Your whole world can be changed in a heartbeat." Colette's attention focused on him. They shared a look. Ari spoke, "Sometimes, I still find it hard to believe it happened, that night was like a nightmare you just couldn't wake up from. " he said quietly  now watching the storm outside. "I know it still haunts me every night. I can still see his face...all their faces..." she trailed off. "I'm sorry" Ari confessed. Colette looked at him puzzled "What are you talking about?"  Ari sighed. "You must hate me on some level for what I did, I would understand if you did" he admitted as he continued to watch the storm roll by.  Colette  gently placed her hand on his and looked him dead in the eyes. "You did what I couldn't do, you saved us that night, you did what was right and succeeded in a difficult task that I failed in. So I could never hate you for that Ari, if anything I have respect for you. It is I who is sorry, I was supposed to be your queen, your leader but I allowed myself to be blinded and failed you and the others." Ari shook his head head. "No, no you didn't. You were put in a very difficult situation, that any person regardless of rank,age assassin or not would struggle to make. I know we lost our team out there that night, but we survived Colette we worked as a team and succeeded where the other could not and we made it out of there alive. Thats what we do we work together as a team and carry each other. So dont ever say you failed because you didn't, what you had to face in there was far worse for you than me or anyone else for that matter and I think the fact that you didn't let something like that break you makes you more of a queen than any title some old geezer gives you." he smiled at her looking into those emerald eyes of hers. "Thank you Ari that means a lot to me." There eyes locked for a moment both found themselves starting to lean in a little.. BOOM! A loud clap of thunder echoed through the clouds as a bolt of lightening lit up the night sky. Colette cleared her throat "Right we should get some rest anyway" "Right, goodnight" he said . "Goodnight" she said as she lay down. The two dozed off into the world of dreams as the storm raged on outside.